Eating before training, what do you think?

[The1-N-OnlyHomer]

Hello all!

 

               I'm new here and have been a member for a month or so but this is my first time postgin, I'll stop in the introduction section a bit later and post more but for now I have a question. When doing circuit training would you all recommend eating before or after the workout, or does that depend on the goal of the work out? I've been doing cardio training for the past year and a half and I've dropped about 65lbs but now I'm looking to build muscle. Now that being said I'm still running and doing cardio training but I've added circuit training to the mix 2-3 days a week. That being said I generally do my crcuit training on an empty stomach because that was what I was doing to burn fat with the cardio traing however my primary goal with the circuit training is to build muscle and burn a little fat but I feel kind of weak when I do circuit on an empty stomach so I'm not sure that I'm getting the maximum effeciency out of my workout. Should I eat a high protein meal or have a shake and hour or so before working out or should I continue to do it on an empty stomach and then eat? Or should I eat before hand, workout and eat some more?

[I-Jo]

I hate eating fasted.  But lots of people (Here too) don't like eating ANYTHING before- like HOURS AND HOURS before.

 

I'd die. Literally Die.  on floor. bang bang.

 

 

I have to have SOMETHING 2 hours up to 30 minutes prior to working out.  Try it out and see- try a yogurt or egg or piece of cheese 45 minutes before.  You'll never know till you try!

[marionette]

EAT. Or at least have a glass of milk and a banana. I get light headed if I train without about 200 calories or so an hour or two before a workout.

[scubasteve85]

I would say try eating and see how you feel.  I think it depends on many different factors.  I typically do all my workouts first thing in the morning before anything else.  I think that is still different than if I hadn't eaten for 8 hours and been awake.  I'd probably feel like death at that point.  It can't hurt to try something different and monitor results.

[Anivair]

I hate eating fasted.

 

This made me laugh. 

 

Personally,I don't sweat it.  IMO training fasted is great for you, but if you can't do it you can't do it.  I usually train in the afternoon, so I don't.  today I trained in the morning, so I was MOSTLY fasted, though I threw a few nuts in me just to stop my belly rumbling while I worked out. 

[I-Jo]

LOL my bad- hate training fasted.  GOD- Not ENOUGH COFFEE.  

 

yeah- it takes me about a week to 10 days to adjust to AM fasted training... I get super sick- dry heaves and everything.

 

I LOVE working out in the AM- but adjusting to it is REALLY hard for me. 

 

So yeah.  It doesn't happen. 

[Guest asdf]

It is a personal preference you need to figure out for yourself.  It's really about what works best for you personally, so try both options for a while to see which one works better for you and then stick to it. I personally try to work out on an empty stomach and then get something packed with protein afterward because working out with food in my system often gives me cramps or makes me feel like I'm gonna upchuck, which potentially makes me have to cut a work out short.

 

But don't let yourself get into a rut of thinking that you HAVE to do something a specific way, lest it won't be effective enough. The media and highly visible fad programs like p90X have led us into believing that if you aren't doing something a certain way then you aren't going to see good results. So try not to over think things.

 

What matters most is that you work out intensely on a regular basis, and that every night when your head hits the pillow you know you have met your nutritional needs for protein, calories, carbs, etc., for that day. Do that and you'll see good results. 

[Choronodon]

^^ I second the above. Try both, see what works. Personally I prefer working out fasted, no matter what I'm doing, weightlifting  running, martial arts, doesn't matter, and I'm still putting muscle on. More important for muscle-building isn't the state you're working out in, its whether or not you're eating enough overall to feed the system sufficiently.

[WriterGuy]

I have done it both ways and honestly, have at least something in your stomach - the golden middle between the two options. I trained on a full stomach and felt like I would vomit (hurray body) and I trained on an empty stomach (panted like hell and got real dizzy), but I'm really out of shape, so this may be how my body reacts to even exercising in the first place.

[The1-N-OnlyHomer]

I think I'll probably eat before doing the circuit training and train fasted when running. I just don't feel like I'm getting the maximum efficiency out of my resistance trainging on an empty stomach but I know I can't run with food in my system so I'll probably eat upon rising the day of circuit and then train. I'm a morning person so I'm usually up for about an hour and a half before I work out, yeah I get up at like 4 or 5 am everyday.

[castelluzzo99]

I've noticed (as I detailed here) that I need more food on days that I strength train (doing a body weight circuit routine). Since I need more food anyway, I eat some of it before and some right after the workout, all before breakfast. I have these energy bars made by Melaleuca that are supposed to make one burn more fat than if they exercised fasting or with other food. I have no way of verifying if their claims are acurate, but I will say that I have been losing inches faster than I ever expected to, so maybe it works. All I know is, they have about 17 carbs and 2 g protein and 2 of fat and that seems to give me enough energy to work out before breakfast and really give it all I've got. If I decide later that it's not enough, I'll eat something else. Yogurt sounds like a good idea. I make my own, so I have tons of it (right now, about 6 quarts in the fridge!).

 

So yeah, try eating and see how your workout goes. We're not talking a whole meal. We're talking a couple hundred calories. It's not going to hurt your weight loss; if you've been counting calories, just put some of them before your workout instead of later.